My first day in India has come and gone – I can’t believe I managed to stay awake from landing in Banglaore at 4:30AM to right now, 8:30PM in my bed at Shanti Bhavan! It was both a wonderful and difficult day. It was wonderful in so many ways: to hear “Allegra!!!” in the voices of all the kids that I love, to see my former piano students’ faces beam, to have the younger students run up to tell me that they get to start piano lessons this year, to get 2 pieces of candy as a gift from a 6th grader, to get a huge hug from Ms. Ruth (the old woman on staff at Shanti Bhavan who I grew really close to last summer) and hear her tell me my coming back was an answer to her prayers, to jump right into giving a piano and violin lesson while completely jetlagged...this year will be great!!

Ahhh...but it was also one of the most difficult days I’ve had in years. It’s hard not to feel utterly and completely scared out of your mind when you realize you’ve actually left everything behind and relocated yourself to the other side of the world for an entire year. While India is a difficult place to live in, “roughing it” is not the hardest part. I can handle spiders, sweltering heat, mosquitoes, spicy food three times a day, cold showers….it’s really just the unknown that gets me. Not knowing what this job will actually entail. Not knowing whether I will be good at it. Not knowing how long a year will actually feel. Not knowing what I’m coming back to after the year runs out.

The only thing I can do right now is to try to take each day at a time. I am here for a purpose, and each day will bring me closer to understanding it. When Ms. Ruth asked me how I was, I admitted that I was scared. She smiled her big smile at me, hugged me and said “Don’t scare! God is with us!”

School hasn't started yet - right now the children are rehearsing dances, choir songs, and speeches for the graduation ceremonies that take place June 4th, 5th, and 6th. Right now only the 6th graders through 12th graders are at Shanti Bhavan - the younger ones return on June 13th.

I found out I will be teaching 10th and 12th grade English which I'm really looking forward to. I LOVE English, and I LOVE working with the older children more closely. They were talking to me about needing help writing, which would include working on their personal statements.

I'll start teaching piano lessons as well, and most likely take over choir rehearsals until other musical volunteers come :)

Please send me emails! I love to hear about what's going on back home!